Mismatched Shoes
by Azel Hellfist
Summary: You decide this would be a good place to stop and collect your thoughts. You hear someone walk up behind you, and you look over to see a pair of black slacks and mismatched Converse All Stars… JadexOC, alternate-reality.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: == Jade: Run.

Your name is Jade Harley, and you can't stop running. You can't stop crying either, which is actually making it hard to keep running, but you don't stop. You have to get away from that apartment where you saw Dave with her. Terezi, who you trusted, had overstepped boundaries with your boyfriend. "Jade! Crap, I…" Dave had started to say to you, but you had left before he finished. You couldn't stand listening to him. Finally, after running for well over 5 minutes, you stop running and sit on the sidewalk of a strip mall. The store that owned the whole mall was some family owned music store, and you know for a fact it isn't the kind of music store Dave would go to. You decide this would be a good place to stop and collect your thoughts. You hear someone walk up behind you, and you look over to see a pair of black slacks and mismatched Converse All Stars…

== Be the sharp dressed guy

You are now the sharp dressed guy. A classic rock artist once said that the girls go crazy for a sharp dressed man, which you know for a fact that you are, but you are pretty sure that that guy didn't know what the heck he was going on about when he wrote that song. You work at a music store that happens to own a whole strip mall in the town you live in. It's probably the best job you possibly could've gotten when you had started looking for a job two and a half years ago.

Your name is Mike Anders, and you are a fairly good pianist. Your interests include video games, music, and science fiction. You are very proud of your head of thick dark brown hair, and the thick sideburns that adorn each side of your face, which you have had for four years now. You have what some consider a strange habit of wearing Converse All Stars with all forms of dress, including formal wear. At the moment, you are working in mismatched Converse, because you had forgotten you were working some extra hours today and left the house to go to your classes in two colored shoes. You don't really care, but you are glad that your boss is not in the store, because she probably wouldn't be too happy with it, though the manager is fairly cool with it. You are watching the clock patiently as the last few minutes before the store closes pass. You are going to have some good times with good friends later tonight, having an all-nighter with video games and food and caffeinated beverages. You can't wait to get going, but you have about 5 minutes left. You're also a little nervous, because the girl you've had your eye on for almost 4 years now is going to be there, and you know she doesn't return your feelings. You think that's okay, though, because you always have your emotions under control. Meditation is one of your constant hobbies, which makes you an extremely chill dude. As the manager tells you that you can go, and you leave and walk down the sidewalk in front of the store towards your car, you see a girl with long dark hair sitting down next to it.

As you get closer you notice she's crying. You feel somewhat concerned, and stop next to her, staring at her through the sunglasses you put on as you left the store. "You alright?" you ask her, as she notices you standing there.

== Be Jade again.

You are now Jade again. The young man who just walked up asked you about your well-being, and you smile a little that he's concerned enough about you to ask. "I'll be alright" you try to say, but it is choked out between sobs. He opens his car door, and reaching inside pulls out two cans of something, but you can't tell what because his rather large, slender hands are covering up most of them. You wonder if those hands are musically inclined, because they sure look like they would be good for it. You also wonder where he got that lovely black tie with the safety pin design on it, which looks so fantastic with that black vest and white shirt.

He hands you one of the cans, which you now see is a can of Mountain Dew. It may not be your absolute favorite, but it definitely rides up near the top. "You don't sound like you're going to be alright," he observes, after taking a drink from his own can, "Drink that up right there. It's good stuff. Helps me out when I'm down in the dumps, at least." The boy smirks a little bit as he says it, ending in a toothy grin, and then looks forward at the brick wall of the gas station you both are facing. You open your own can and take a drink from it. It's slightly warm, but it's obviously been sitting in his car for who knows how long. You admit that the familiar taste and feel of caffeine and carbonation in your system is a good feeling, and you breathe a sigh of contentment in that thought.

"Sounds like you're already doing a little better. Let me introduce myself. I'm Mike, Mike Anders," he said, holding out a hand as if wanting a handshake. "Jade, Jade Harley," you reply, grabbing his hand, and feelings its warmth. You quickly let go and let your hand fall back into your lap. "Pleased to meet you, Jade. Now, what's got you in such a sad state?"

== Mike: Comfort the girl.

You listen as the girl tells about how she decided to surprise her boyfriend, Dave, by showing up at his apartment today. She tells you how she had taken advantage of the nice weather to walk there, and had showed up at the same time as his older brother. You listen intently as she tells how she and her boyfriend's brother both walked in on Dave and another girl, Terezi, both topless on the futon in the main room of the apartment. She starts crying again, and instinctively you put an arm around her and rub her shoulder gently. She leans into and cries into your own shoulder, as you hold her close. You notice how even though she is distraught, she is very strong-willed as she starts fighting back the tears. She goes on to tell how she just couldn't stop running, but then got tired and stopped here to rest and get her mind straight again.

"Must've been a coincidence that I ran into you, huh? Thanks for listening" she said, smiling at you, clearly feeling better after having someone to talk to about it. "Nah, nothing's coincidence," you say to her, which gives light to your habit of philosophical talk that honestly didn't help your first relationship much. Your first girlfriend didn't really want anything to do with that side of you, at least, but you're a package deal. "Let me tell you, though, you handled that a LOT better than I would have. Why, if Dave was MY boyfriend and I walked in on him with another girl, I would've ripped off his jewels and fed them to the girl, and then made her puke it back up and have him eat it then. But, y'know, he isn't my boyfriend. And I also happen to be straight, so that couldn't happen." You grin at her, enforcing the idea that you just spouted that off as a joke. Since she giggled a little bit, you think that you pulled that off well. Now you think you can do a little bit more to help her out…

== End Chapter 1

Notes: First of all, I'd like to thank you for reading the first chapter of this! I have a few chapters written already that I'm going to be uploading probably every other day, and I'm hoping to be able to keep my chapter account ahead of my upload rate. Prospectively I'm looking at around 9 or 10 chapters for the story in its entirety. Also, apologies for the == instead of the arrow, but apparently greater-than signs don't show up on this... Oh well! Read, review, live, love, and stay tuned for more!


	2. Chapter 2

Quick note, before I start on this one. this kind of seems like a jumpy start, and in hindsight I probably shouldn't have changed the original chapter break, but the first chapter was REALLY short, so I took a section or two from this chapter and put it in chapter 1 instead. So this kind of starts weird, but don't worry about that. =3

Chapter 2: == Invite Jade to the fun awesome times.

"Hey, you like video games?" you ask her.

"Yeah, I play like Minecraft and stuff! I like adventuring! Oh, and Halo! Shooting stuff is fun too!" Jade exclaimed happily. You mentally punch the air, glad that you have the chance to help her out a bit more today.

"Well, hey, I'm gonna be going to some fun awesome times with some friends of mine, some chill guys and gals, and there's definitely gonna be some craftin' of mines, and shooting stuff in quite a few different shooter games, not to mention some DDR. If you're interested, you can come. It's gonna be an all-nighter, and to be honest, I think you could use it." You really think that she could use it too, it's not just some ply to hang out with this cool girl who gets cooler by the minute. You think that definitely would be a plus, though.

== Jade: Decide whether you should go.

You were just asked to go to what appears to be some fun awesome times with some of Mike's friends. You think that this friendship is moving fast, if he's asking you to stay the night with him and his friends, but you know he's trying to help. You try to think of a way to let him down with making it clear that you'd love to hang out with him later though. But as you think about tonight and how it may get lonely, and you might get depressed again, you find yourself saying "Yeah, sure! That sounds awesome!"

He motions to his car, and says "Alright, sweet! I'm headin' out there now. Hop in." He steps over to the driver's door of his dark green cavalier, a color which is absolutely amazing, and once he's inside he reaches over to unlock your door. You get into a car that is a little bit messy, but since he appears to be a college kid, you don't really think anything of it. You remember riding in Dirk Strider's car when he was in college, and it was a lot messier than this. You look in the back and see the remains of a 12-pack that reads "MTN DEW", which is where the can you are holding probably originated. The other contents of his backseat include a pair of jeans and a black t-shirt, a black CD case, and some books and folders, which are surely for school. You jump a little as his CD starts blaring out music, and he hurriedly turns down the Japanese rap, apologizing. As he turns down the volume, you notice it originally rested at 50. "Sorry, I like my music. I used to not like rap, either, but hey, I've found that I like my beats fast and my bass down low. Plus my front speakers haven't worked for months, so all my sound comes from the back."

"It's okay, really! It just surprised me!" you say quickly, and it really was just a surprise. Dave played his music loud a lot too, which often upset his neighbors. On the subject of upsetting people, you pull out your phone to try and contact your Dad. You should probably tell him you'll be staying at a friend's house tonight. You know he's at work, though, so you'll just leave him a voicemail. As you call, Mike pauses the music, considerate of the fact you are on the phone.

"Do you want to swing by your place so you can pick up some clothes and whatever else you may need?" He offers as you hang up the phone, "I mean, you could probably fit into my other shirt and pair of jeans, if you wear a belt, but if you want your own, that's cool too."

"That'd be great! I didn't even think about that!" You say to him, and direct Mike to your house. As he pulls into the driveway he remarks how close you actually live to him, just a couple streets away. You think that's awesome, and tell him so, exclaiming how easy it will be for you two to hang out! You are happy about this development as you invite him inside your house, and he says thanks and takes off his shades as he enters.

You say to make yourself at home and run upstairs to your room to pack some things. Your brother, John, walks out of his room, probably to see why you were home so early. But you see he's carrying his PDA, and has a chat open with Dave on it. Dave is your brother's best friend, so you should've guessed that the two of them would be chatting about it.

"Jade, Dave says he really wants to talk to you about this," John says to her, not really wanting to get involved, but probably he just owes Dave a favor. You tell yourself you won't get mad at your brother. After all, he is family. "No, John, I don't think I could possibly talk to him right now. Plus, I've got plans. I'm going to go hang out with some people tonight, and I'm just here to get some clothes to change into," you tell him as you both walk into your room.

"You're going to stay at someone's house tonight? Who could you possibly be staying with? Obviously not Rose, yeah, but who?" John asks, crossing off the obvious choices of who it wouldn't be, and probably going over his mental list of her friends.

"It's someone new. This guy I met today, he and some of his friends, not all guys by the way, are getting together for a gaming party. He invited me to come along!" you tell him happily about your plans with Mike, and you quickly add, "and if you tell Dad that it's with someone I just met today, I will rip your family jewels off, feed them to Dave, make him vomit it up and then make you eat your vomited-up junk."

"And nobody likes vomited junk. Sounds like I'm already rubbing off on you," a solemn, pleased drawl emanated from the doorway, as Mike stepped into the room. He raises his chin at your brother and says, "Sup bro?" before turning his attention to some of the posters and other things in your room.

"Um, hey," John says, and turning to you he adds, "Honestly, I think you've been through enough already today from Dave. I've already told him that I'm gonna have to rough him up a little bit because of it. He doesn't think I can, but he forgets about my pogo-hammer!" John starts pecking away at Dave on his PDA, a hand-me-down from Dad your brother just can't seem to let go of.

"He seems like a chill bro, doesn't he?" Mike observed as he took a look at some of the CDs you had sitting next to your stereo. You reply, "Yeah, he's usually fairly level-headed, unless you diss Nic Cage or something like that."

"Does he have Con Air?" he asked, probably because you mentioned Nic Cage, "I've never seen the movie, and I've kinda wanted to watch it for a while. The whole put the bunny back in the box and the scene with 'How Do I Live' is starting to reach meme status on the internet, and it's made me curious."

"Yeah, he does! It's one of his favorites, actually! You'll have to get with John and have a movie night! I'll watch it with you guys, too! It's not a bad movie, really." You are happy to already have another get-together with your new friend in queue. Just some planning and you'll all be curled up on the couch or maybe in a blanket fort in the basement together, just like you, John, Rose, and Dave used to when you were kids!

You stop yourself at the thought of Dave again and look down, almost bursting into tears again, but you hold them back. Mike seems to know it as well as you do, and you see his two colored shoes come into view next to your own feet. You look up just in time to see him wrap his arms around you into a loose, comforting hug. "It'll get better. Trust me, it always gets better," he said, resting his chin on top of your head. You are somewhat surprised at this, because at first glance he didn't seem quite so tall, but you realize he probably slouches most of the time. You smile as you return the hug, and then after a few moments decide you should finish packing and let go.

Mike turns to your bass guitar sitting in the corner and walks up to look at it. "You play it, then, or is it like my sister who just never got around to it?" he asked, running a hand across the sunburst design body of the guitar.

"No, I play it. I've played since I was eight or so," you tell him, as he picks it up to take a closer look.

"That's pretty sweet. I've always thought it'd be cool to learn bass. I picked up my sister's once and taught myself a couple bass lines from Beatles songs by ear, but I never got to do too much with it. Piano's always been my thing," he says, putting the instrument back on its stand, and walking over to your closet where your many dresses and your collection of shoes are.

"Is it always your habit to snoop around girls' rooms when you are at their house?" you ask, teasing him about his curiosity.

"Nope, you're just a special case," he replies, "I was just thinking how disappointing that your window doesn't have anything I can grapple onto around it. That'll make it hard to sneak in at night." He sends a devilish smirk your way as he says that, and you're pretty sure he's just being a bit snarky in his replies to keep the mood light. Or maybe he's just naturally snarky.

"You could always use the balcony down the hall. That should be easy to get to. That's how John's girlfriend always sneaks in at night," you raise your voice loud enough for John to hear from his room, and as he hastily calls back that she isn't his girlfriend, you add, "You're right, how silly of me! You're HER girlfriend, aren't you?"

"Wow, girl, do you and your brother mess with each other like this all the time?" he asked, grinning at her, clearly amused by you and your brother's silly banter, "Reminds me a lot of my sister and I."

"Not all the time, really," you say, but you decide you should probably add, "but it does happen quite a bit." You shoot him a toothy smile as you finish packing your bag with everything you'll need for the night. "Got everything?" he asks, and you nod in response, turning to the door to leave.

== Mike: Drive to the fun awesome times. But first, show off a bit.

You follow Jade back out of her room and down the hall to the stairs, and as you pass John you give him a quick three fingered wave, like you normally do. You aren't quite sure why your index finger, middle finger and thumb are the only ones you ever wave with, but you're chill enough to just roll with it. You walk down the stairs and only stop to look at the nice looking baby grand piano in the sitting room off to the right.

"You like it? Dad got it for John a few years ago," Jade says as you walk up to inspect it, "I think he even bought it from where you work!"

"Oh, I'm so jealous, man. My parents never really had the cash for a baby grand, let alone even a new upright. And, y'know, lack of space makes it hard to get a baby grand, too. This thing is a beauty," you say, almost having to literally keep yourself from drooling over the piano. "You know, you can play it if you want," John says from the doorway.

You take up the offer and sit down at the piano, playing some chords in rising volume, and after the final cord, you move your left hand from the E two octaves down up in a two octave arpeggio and back down, changing one note each time you move up and back down: G, then A-flat, then A, then back to A-flat. As you start back at G again, you add in chords which the arpeggio harmonizes gracefully with, and as you begin the next section of the song, you see Jade jump up in the corner of your eye. You see her whisper something to John and he nods, watching your rather large hands play the large chords without too much difficulty. At least, probably with less difficulty than he would play it, because you notice his hands are considerably smaller than yours. You wonder what they were talking about but quickly stop that line of thought because you have to focus on your music as you run the arpeggiated chords all the way up and back down the piano, sextuplets occasionally replacing them. You reach a slower part of the song, and here you always relax a bit before it speeds up again. As you draw near to the end of your memory, you fade out, turning to the siblings who applaud.

"That was from Kingdom Hearts, wasn't it? Dearly Beloved?" Jade asks you, and you nod in reply and say "The concert paraphrase of it, yeah. I only have half of it down by memory, but if I had the music with me I could play that whole thing." You learned that piece only a few months ago, and played it at your final recital. You stopped taking piano lessons in preparation for college soon after that recital. Over ten years of lessons has made you a good pianist, or so people tell you. You don't always agree with them, but you don't honestly argue the point.

"That was really good, man," John says, "that piece is beautiful. I've heard the whole thing once. I'd like to hear you play the rest of it sometime." John looks somewhat happy to have found another person who shares such a fondness for the piano. "For sure, dude, we'll have to jam out some tunes sometime. Also, I hear you've got Con Air. I want to watch that too," you say to him, which makes his eyes light up and he enthusiastically agrees that you'll have to get together and do all that sometime, hopefully soon.

"Hey, Jade, we should probably get going, we still need to stop at the store and pick up some drinks," you say, motioning towards the door, "I really did most of the setting up for this, even though it's not at my place. My friends have a bit more open space for sleeping though, so it works." Your friends that you are talking about have been two of your best friends your entire life, and you kind of think yourself as the mediator between the two of them, since they often fight with each other. You wonder if in some alien species if that kind of relationship is considered romantic, because that's the kind of thoughts that pop into your head in times like these.

You decide to drop that line of thought immediately as you and Jade bid John farewell and exit her house. You pull out of her driveway, marking your next destination as the grocery store to pick up some chill drinks and maybe a snack to eat along the way.

"Hey, isn't this the same track that was playing earlier?" Jade asks as the one-track CD that you had in the player restarts. True, it's a half-hour long mix, but it's still considered one track. "Yeah, actually, would you mind finding the CD marked PGL disc 1?"

== Jade: Find the disc.

You look through Mike's extensive collection of burned CDs, looking for the one he mentioned. You pass by many strange titles which you aren't sure why, but they sound familiar: Mobius Trip and Hadron Kaleido, Prospit and Derse, "Strife!", as well as some more assuredly recognizable names like his Legend of Zelda mix, his Kingdom Hearts mix, and the Beatles. You think that the Beatles don't really fit the mood of the other discs, but this is a guy wearing formal clothes and two different colored shoes for goodness' sake. You pass by a few volumes marked "Crush on Hardcore" before finding the two discs marked "PGL", and inserted the first disc. As a guitar riff starts up, you think that maybe Mike was right. Maybe you two meeting wasn't just coincidence.

== End Chapter 2

A few quick notes again! At the current moment, I am actually working on the Concert Paraphrase on Dearly Beloved. It's an incredible piece, and I highly recommend listening to it. Also, a quick note on the CD choices. I honestly just pulled names out of a hat for the albums I used, and the mixes for games is just as arbitrary. In my mind, other realities could be able to bleed through into the one being viewed, if the memories, the ideas, or the mind is strong enough to handle them. Most often, this happens in sleep, when the mind is more easily penetrated. This is what gives someone a feeling of Deja Vu. Also, on the note of recommended material, if you like Hardstyle or Hardcore techno, I can't help but point you towards Crush on Hardcore. Since the project has been finished after the 5th album, unfortunately the website is down, but if you look you can still find them. Finally, "PGL" is the shortened name for PreGame Lobby, a Halo machinima series from a couple years ago. Unfortunately, it was never finished, but the music they use in it is great. I really do have the two-disc mix I put together from it in my car.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Awesome Fun Times with Mike

== Jade: Arrive at the party.

You can't arrive at the party yet, because the party hasn't started. You guess that since you are here, though, you might as well help Mike and his friends set things up for the party. You walk inside with a couple 12-packs of soda in hand and see that everything is pretty much already set up in here, so you walk through the front room, where there are multiple TVs set up, all with their own game consoles. You look through the double doors on the other end and spot the kitchen, where you hear Mike talking to his friends. You walk in and they all three stop to look at you.

"Boys, here she is. This is Jade," he says to them, motioning to you and then he adds, "Jade, this is James and Jake: Two of my best bros in the world." The one he designated as James said hi and waved, while Jake raised his chin up in greeting to you, only saying "Sup?"

"Good to meet you," you said politely, putting the soda down where Mike had put down his own. The four of you go to get the rest of the soda from Mike's car, plenty of Mountain Dew, Dr Pepper, root beer and orange soda to last the whole night, not to mention a few packs of energy drinks. As you all go back in, you grab your backpack and Jake shows you to one of the bedrooms where the girls will be sleeping. He asks you if you like dogs, and you nod in the affirmative, and he takes you outside to show you his dog.

== Be Mike

You are now Mike. You are standing in the front room with your best bro ever as Jake takes Jade to where she'll be sleeping tonight. You look back at James to see him almost glaring at you.

"Okay, dude, what's the deal with her? This better not be like when you brought Marshall to one of these," he said sharply.

"Oh, JR, that almost hurts. Though yeah, Marshall was a little out of line," you joke around with him, knowing that he isn't seriously angry with you about Jade, he just wants answers. You tell him about your meeting with her earlier that day, and pretty much everything about that day since you got off work.

"Alright, alright, so maybe you've got a point in bringing her here," James agreed finally, and grinned, "So, does this mean you're over Em, then?" You narrow your eyes at him. Even jokingly talking about Jade being his rebound from the girl you've had a crush on for four years pushes your buttons.

"Look, bro, Jade's a good girl. Well, at least as much of her as I know about, at least, and yeah she's a good looker too, but you know I don't just bounce like that in a day. I don't know if I'm ready to give up on Emily yet," you say, defending yourself, but somewhere you wonder if maybe he isn't right, and you are actually doing this to maybe try and take Jade on a date eventually. You shake your head, because you know you couldn't possibly do things like that.

"Hey, man, I know you've been intent on the Emily thing since you and AR broke up, but come on, man, maybe this is what you need. You're pretty sure Em isn't interested in being more than friends, so why not?" he offers the scenario you've gone over in your mind, and it makes you wince just a little when he mentions your ex-girlfriend. Even though you've had a crush on this girl for four years, you've dated two other girls in the meantime. One lasted nearly two years, and the second didn't last six months and ended a few months ago.

"Yeah, well, let's give it some time. After all, I just met the girl today. Speaking of girls, did you get word on if yours gets to come?" you hastily change the subject, using the easy segue to settle on James, or your usual nickname for him, JR's girlfriend. He nods in the affirmative, turning a little red and smiling at the mention of her. You smile in response, almost envious of JR's young innocence. True, the two of you are only six months apart in physical age, you had jumped into the world of relationships quite a bit earlier than he had. You think that things may have actually been better for you had you waited until now, like he had. But you don't dwell on the fact.

"Okay, so people are gonna start getting here in a half hour or so, we're gonna call in the pizza once everyone arrives, and then you and I go get it while Jake holds down the fort?" James rattles off the plan that the two of you and Jake put together a couple weeks ago when you planned this whole shindig, and you nod in the affirmative.

"Yeah, I think we can trust your brother with a house full of people for 15 minutes or so while we get pizza, don't you?" you say, jokingly bashing your friend, as the three of you often do with each other.

"Let's just try and make the pizza run quick before the house implodes, yeah?" he replies, bashing his brother maybe a little less jokingly than you. Even though you're pretty sure he's half-serious about his joke, but you can't help but laugh at the banter that always ensues between the lot of you. You can't wait for everyone to finally get here so you can get down to business and start gaming the night away.

== Jade: Minutes in the future, but not many…

You are being introduced by Mike to his friends as they walk in. He introduces you to his cousin, who is also named Jake. You learn that when both of them are in the room, Jake the cousin is Jake, and the other Jake is called JT. Jake happily greets you with a smile, then goes over and fist bumps JT as they proceed to start setting up the TV and console that Jake had brought with him. Mike walks outside to say hey to his aunt and uncle before they leave, and you decide to take the opportunity to talk to James.

"Hey, could I ask you a question about Mike?" you ask him, and he nods in the affirmative, so you continue, "You've known him for a long time… has he always been so, like, quirky and stuff? Like, he wears two different colored shoes with his slacks and stuff. What's up with that?"

This wasn't the question you originally wanted to ask, but it's what came out of your mouth instead. You aren't sure why you are avoiding the other question, but you can't even complete the question in your mind for some reason. James doesn't know this, so he probably just thinks you want to know about his quirks.

"Yeah, he's always been a bit different, but to be honest his quirks have changed with time. You know those sideburns of his? Four years he's had them. The two colored shoes thing, he's done that on and off for the past couple of years. Converse with slacks, suits, and pretty much all forms of dress has been something he's done for longer than he's had that facial hair. That's just Mike." James thinks for a moment, and then adds, "Oh, and if he says some stuff that doesn't quite make sense to you, he's probably referencing some song he knows or a sci-fi show."

You giggle a little bit at this, wondering whether anything he's already said has been a reference to something. You are pretty sure a lot of his music is references to something, but you aren't really sure about a lot of things he says. Even though you haven't gotten the answer for the question you really wanted to ask, this will do for now. Mike walks back in with another one of his friends, a guy named Rob. Rob asks you what's up, and then proceeds to go give high fives to the other three guys. Some more of the group show up, and Mike quickly introduces you to them all as they go mingle with the others. There are a lot of names, though, so you aren't doing too well remembering them all. You realize that must be all of them, since Mike whips out his phone to call in some pizza, and then he and James go to pick up the pizza, leaving you to mingle with the crowd.

"Hey, I know Mike kinda quickly introduced us, but I thought I'd introduce myself! I'm Emily!" one of the girls had walked up to you, and smiled as she spoke to you. She kind of reminds you of someone, but you aren't quite sure why she seems familiar, with her large amounts of enthusiasm.

"It's good to meet you, Emily! I'm Jade!" you reply, matching her enthusiasm. She asks you about how you met Mike and why she hasn't met you before now and you said that you just met Mike not too long ago, but you decide its best not to go into too much detail, at least at this point in time. Speaking of time, you wonder how much longer Mike is going to be with that pizza. You haven't eaten since breakfast and you are starting to get hungry.

"Want some deer sticks?" a guy's voice asks from behind you, and you turn around to find one of the guys, Rob, offering you deer sticks from a package in his hand. You take one from the package, thanking him and biting down on it. You always loved deer meat when your grandpa used to go hunting all the time. You can't remember the last time you were able to go hunting with your grandpa… and then you are snapped out of that line of thought as Mike and James walk through the door with a large stack of pizza boxes.

== End Chapter 3

Okay, so this chapter isn't QUITE as good I had hoped but I can't really seem to fix it as much as I want to. Introducing some friends of mine, and I'll mention a few more names as necessary, but I don't really want to throw in 6 or 7 pointless names, y'know? Anyway, this and the next couple of chapters are going to be the only chapters that have non-Homestuck characters named in it besides Mike. So bear with me.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: == Mike: Be Awesome at DDR

You just finished your pizza and downed the rest of your Mountain Dew, so you decide it's time for you to throw down some DDR. You get it all set up on one of the faster paced songs, but not too fast, on the harder difficulty, and with that done you jump on the start button, and proceed to own that DDR mat so hard it couldn't even rage quit. You used to play a lot of DDR in the past, but you had stopped a couple summers ago. Recently you just got back into it and you think you've gotten pretty good. You don't often lose in versus matches against your friends, but not many of them even play on the same skill level as you anyway. Your taste in music is usually lost on most of the guys and girls in your group, or at least the techno portion of it is.

You finish the song with a round of applause from the spectating crowd, even though half of the guys are busy playing Call of Duty on one of the other TVs, so it's mostly the girls that are watching you. You are 100% sure that that is just fine with you, though. You step off the mat, motioning for someone else to take a turn on it, and Jade decides to step up to the task. She doesn't back down from a challenge, it seems. She picks a fast-paced song and doesn't even change the difficulty. She proceeds to own that mat just the same way you owned it, except maybe with less of your laid back sauntering over the mat and more female grace. You think that she probably looks a lot better playing this game than you do, but you aren't sure if maybe the way you play it looks really good to the girls watching you, just like Jade looks fantastic to you as she moves. You shake your head, thinking that you really shouldn't be following that line of thought.

You look over and have to shake your head at the boys crowded around Call of Duty. No matter your love for shooter games, that was not one of your favorites. No, honestly, you just hate it. Yeah, okay, it's the popular one, but you preferred Battlefield for your console shooter. Halo was just about tied for your favorite console shooter, but your favorite of all time is still Counter-Strike on the PC. You did bring your PC in preparation for you and some of the guys to play Minecraft later tonight, but that will come when the others decide to go sleep. You think about hooking it up early and throw down some Counter-Strike, but decide that you shouldn't, since this is technically your party too. Jade was about finished with her song, and the guys were about finished with that round of Call of Duty, so you call a vote for a Halo tournament. The consensus is a near-unanimous yes. The only ones who don't are a couple of the girls and Rob, who wasn't too good at Halo, and really didn't like doing competition in it. Of course, you know that a couple only came to hang out with everyone and of course for a couple of the guys. All in all, you count about ten people up for playing, including yourself.

"So, we could do five teams of two and set it up all tourney style," you offer, writing everyone's names down on sheets of paper. Since no one objects, you decide that's how it's done and shuffle them around in a bowl. You draw out the names to set up teams: You and JR end up on a team, which you think solves one possible dilemma, which would be JR and JT on the same team. You then draw out the rest of the names: Jade with your cousin Jake, JT with Meg, Emily with Micah, and Tyler with Levi. "That settles it, then. First match, JR and I versus Jade and Jake!" you exclaim, grabbing your controller.

== Jade: Show your awesome FPS skills!

You are about to show those boys how good of a shooter you can be. True, shooting things in a video game is a bit different than hunting in real life, but the main idea is the same. You always aim for the head, and you quickly learn that Mike's strategy is very similar. But next to you on the couch you can see him- no, you can even _feel_ him tense up- every time he runs into you on the rather small arena they are playing on. You hear a slight snicker from him once or twice, though, which starts worrying you, and you turn a corner straight into his shotgun. He bursts into laughter then, and almost falls off the couch because of it, and you laugh too as you smack him on the arm, which accomplishes nothing but make him laugh harder. He soon regains his composure and begins his hunt again, searching for you or your teammate. You realize that your teams are actually tied for the lead, and that must mean that your teammates must be fairly even in skill as well. You grin as you start to get into the fight, and both teams creep toward the winning score. The whole room literally goes quiet when you both reach 49, one kill to win, and you know that Mike still has that dratted shotgun, and your only hope is to hit him from a distance with a grenade to weaken him, and then shoot him in the head with your pistol.

You tense up as you see him round the corner in front of you, and he lobs a grenade at you and retreats behind the corner. You ready your sticky grenades, waiting for him to pop back out, and all of a sudden Jake yells that there's someone behind you, just in time for James to hit you in the back. Shocked, you realize that they had been doing that the whole time, one of them distracting you so the other one could go in for the kill. You realize that since the two of them had been friends for their whole lives, they could probably communicate without much physical speaking. You and Rose were a lot like that sometimes, speaking to each other just by looking each other in the eye.

You congratulate the two of them on their win as the four of you hand off your controllers to the next players. "Hey, you guys put up a heck of a fight, I don't know if I could've done it if my bro wasn't watchin' my back," he says, grinning, "It was all luck. Well, there was some skill. Well, maybe a bit of both." You can't help but giggle a little bit about his indecision and his elongated well's. You can't help but wonder if that's what James was talking about when he told you about Mike's references he always makes. You don't have long to wonder, though, because you aren't paying attention, and as you start walking towards a seat, you accidentally trip and start falling.

== Mike: Be the hero, catch the girl.

You see Jade start to fall in front of you, and you quickly reach out to catch her, and you almost start falling yourself. You never really ever had good balance, so catching someone is not your forte. You manage to keep on your feet, though, and you were able to keep Jade from falling. She stands back up quickly, some hair falling into her face, and she apologizes, blushing. You tell her it's cool, but you for some reason feel blood rushing to your face for no reason, really. You think that you really need some more caffeine, so you head to the kitchen

For some reason, you can't get that blushing face out of your head, because it's really cute, and you can't help but think about how you could've brushed her hair out of her face, and how it would've felt to reach down and kiss her right then, and you stop yourself there. You can't do this. Not right now, at least. She's just been hurt, she's vulnerable, and you want to take advantage of that. You don't even know if she would like you that way.

You shake your head to finish clearing your thoughts, grab another Mountain Dew, and head back to the party just in time to see JT's eyes widen in a little bit of shock, as Emily and Micah just beat him and Meg by a landslide. You laugh at his slight misfortune and add jokingly, "Look on the bright side, now you don't have to worry about this deal interrupting any cuddle time with a special guy." You top it off with a wink, and he shakes his head at you and you both laugh. You look around and notice Jade's missing, and Emily just went missing too, which isn't good because she is supposed to be playing against you next. You decide that there must be some girl time going on, and the consensus is there'll be some non-tournament matches while everyone awaits the return of the girls.

== Jade: Have some girl time with Emily.

You just got pulled into the bedroom where you put your stuff by Emily, who sat down on the bed and motioned to a spot next to her. You sit down and she begins, "Okay, what do you think about Mike?"

"Wh-what? What do you mean what do I think about Mike?" You say, confused beyond belief, even though you feel blood rushing to your face again, and you aren't sure why.

"I mean, you clearly bumped into him there on purpose, didn't you? You like him, don't you?" she continued, oblivious to the fact that you have no idea what she's talking about.

"No, I- That was a complete accident! Honestly! I didn't mean to knock into him!" You say, starting to get a little flustered, which makes you a little irritated because you aren't sure why that's happening.

"I see the way you look at him, Jade, it's not hard to see it. You have a thing for Mike, and now all you need to do is figure out how to get him to like you back! He's a chivalrous guy, so the normal damsel in distress act won't cut it. Being the hero is just the norm for him. Trust me, I've tried it quite a few times… it doesn't work." You look at her, confused. This girl has a thing for Mike, and she's trying to set YOU up with him? Why would she do that?

"Look, if you have a thing for Mike, shouldn't you be going after him? Isn't that a thing you should be doing, not like, y'know, trying to help me?" you say, trying to stop her from asking all these personal questions.

"Look, I've liked Mike for a while, but I screwed it up. He had a thing for me a long time ago, and I kind of put him down really hard, and although he's a really great friend now, he'd never go beyond that with me," she explained, "But if I can help him be happy, then that's good enough for me!" She looks like her normal cheerful self when she says it, but you are pretty sure it's at least partly forced.

"I don't think you quite get it, Emily… Look, I don't have a thing for Mike. Honestly, right now, I don't want to. I just got through a bad break-up of sorts…" tears begin welling up in your eyes as the thought comes to you again, and she looks at you, shocked.

"Oh my gosh, Jade, I'm so sorry, I had no idea!" she exclaims, putting an arm around you, "I had no idea you were going through that, I thought…" she trailed off, not sure what to say and you shook your head, partly to get rid of the tears welling up.

"No, I don't have the hots for Mike or anything. I think for now being single is the way to go for me," you say, emphasizing every part of that statement which shows you did NOT have a thing for Mike; which were all the parts. All of them.

"Could I ask what happened, though? Like, girl to girl? I know from experience that the more you talk about it, the better it can get. Mike's good for that too," she offers, and you decide to take it. You tell her about what had happened that afternoon, what you walked in on, and how you met Mike. You tell her how Mike comforted you and then invited you here and she nodded with approval.

"Mike did the right thing. If there's any group of people that can help you get over a bad break-up, it's these guys and girls here. We're always here for each other, and you're definitely one of us now. Welcome to the group, dear," she smiles at you and stands up, offering you a hand up off the bed. You take it and the two of you walk back out towards the party, and you sit down next to Mike on the couch.

End Chapter 4.

I'm honestly not too sure how happy I am with how this chapter closes, but oh well. I don't think I've mentioned it directly before now, but I think it's fairly obvious by this point that Mike is in fact pretty much myself. Well, he really is just me, which makes him so darned easy to write.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: == Jade: Wake up to the smell of bacon

You wake up smelling bacon, and you are in a bed with Emily, and one of the other girls is on her other side. You try and remember when you got there. Last you remember, you were watching as Emily and Micah duked it out against Tyler and Levi in the final Halo match, as Mike and James ran hilarious commentary on the entire match. You remember getting a little bit sleepy and resting your head on Mike's shoulder. You think you remember him putting his arm over your shoulder, but you aren't sure if that actually happened or not. In any case, you realize you probably fell asleep like that and someone carried you to the bed. You carefully get out of the bed, making sure not to disturb the girls still sleeping, and make your way to the kitchen, where you hear the sizzle of bacon on a skillet. You walk in to find Mike, plaid pajama pants and a black t-shirt, and you notice black framed glasses on his face.

"Well, look who's up, Sleepin' Beauty! Welcome back to the party," he says as you walk in, "Want some breakfast? Well, I guess it's brunch by this time of day, eh?" You look at the clock, and you are a little shocked to find that it's actually half past noon. You are definitely hungry though, so you sit down at the table, and Mike brings over two plates of bacon and eggs.

"So do you usually wear contacts, then?" you ask him as you both start to eat the food, which is rather delicious. Mike nods as he pops some bacon in his mouth, and after he swallows he says "Contacts just makes everything easier for me. I don't have to worry about them falling off my face, or breaking, or cleaning them all the time. Not that I don't like my glasses, cause they sure make me look clever, don't they?"

You laugh at his conceited comment, and you are just sure by the way he said that one line with a British accent that that is a definite reference to something, but you aren't sure quite what it is. "So who won the Halo match last night?" you ask him.

"Em and Micah ripped it up, man. They were just on fire last night! Unfortunately, since you fell asleep and we couldn't get you back up, you and Jake didn't get to play the loser's bracket, but James and I ended up in third, and JT and Meg in fourth. Sorry, girl, but your narcoleptic attack struck you down to fifth." He seems to be enjoying teasing you about falling asleep, so you smack him on the arm from across the table.

"That's not very nice to say to a lady, Mike! And what if I really did suffer from narcolepsy? How would you feel then, huh?" you tease back, just sure he won't have a comeback this time.

"Alright, I have to give you that one. Although, I just want to mention, you sure put off a LOT of heat when you sleep. You just kinda cuddled on up there, and for a minute I thought you were going to climb on into my lap." He definitely did have a comeback, and him talking about you sleeping on him makes you blush furiously, and you turn to look out of the window to hide it.

"I was tired, give me a break! I had a long day," you say, a little bit flustered now. He just sits there smiling. He nods at you, saying "For sure, for sure," and offers you more bacon and eggs, which you decline. That one plate was definitely enough to fill you up. You ask him whether anyone else is awake, and he shakes his head.

"You have just stayed the night at a house full of people who just love sleeping in whenever they can. Well, half of 'em do, and the other half stayed up late enough to sleep in for once. So we're the only ones awake. Or at least the only ones moving," he says, piling more bacon onto his plate.

"Wrong," you hear a voice in the doorway behind you, and you turn to see James walk into the room, yawning and scratching the back of his head, and he adds, "Did you really use mom's bacon? I don't know how happy she'll be about that."

"Don't fret, Jehosephat, I left some cash on the counter for it," Mike replies, and James scowls at him. You giggle a little bit, but you can understand why James didn't like the nickname. It's a little strange.

"You know you aren't allowed to call me that, _Mikey_," James replies, and then it's Mike's turn to scowl, "You know you can't win the crappy nickname game, dude. We're about even in that game."

"Fair enough, bro. Here, have a plate," Mike hands him a plate piled high with bacon and eggs, and turns back to pile more on his plate. The two of them start discussing some strategy game, and you decide you might as well go change into your extra clothes, and maybe find a bathroom so you can brush your teeth. You thank Mike for the breakfast as you leave the room, and he nods in reply.

You go back to the room where your stuff is, which actually isn't the one that you ended up sleeping in last night. Actually, no one was actually sleeping in this room, so you don't have to worry about waking anyone up. You close the door behind you, slip out of the clothes you were wearing, and change into the jeans and green fitted shirt you brought with you. You find a small bathroom connected to the room, and use the sink to brush your teeth. You walk back out of the room feeling a bit refreshed. You hear a few more people talking than before, and you walk back into the kitchen to see that Meg, Rob, and JT had joined the crowd in the kitchen. Mike was busy frying up more bacon and eggs, and you take the opportunity to take the seat Mike had been using at the table.

"Y'know, I'm gonna want that seat back. I think since I've cooked all this bacon that I should get to sit down," he says, leaning over your shoulder to speak right into your ear. You turn towards him, and his face is literally right in front of yours and you reply, "You got up! What if I wanted to sit down too, huh?" You finish by sticking your tongue out at him.

He smirks and then picks you up, taking you completely off guard, and you feel a little disappointed that you lost that game, but then he sits you down on top of him in the seat, and you look back at him to say, "You don't have to let me sit on you, you know."

"It's no big deal. You're pretty light, y'know? Plus, you seem to be a perfect fit there. I've got a good eye," he says, winking at you and causing blood to start rushing to your face again, and you almost have half a mind to smack him for being so darned flirty! But when you think about it, you really don't mind too much.

== Mike: Hours in the future, but not many…

You just pulled up at Jade's place, and she's just about to get out of your car and probably go finish catching up on sleep. You didn't actually sleep the night before, so that's definitely what you're doing when you go home. She grabs her bag out of your backseat and turns to you and smiles.

"Hey, thanks for everything. Like, for yesterday, and last night and stuff. You've been a really great friend. You can definitely call me or whatever anytime," she says, and you give her a smile and say, "You know it, girl, but don't expect one for a bit. I expect to crash and sleep all day. Maybe even until tomorrow." You're probably right, too.

"Well, don't wait too long! We need to plan that movie party with John!" she says enthusiastically, opening the car door. She's about to step out, but she stops and turns to give you a warm hug. You return her embrace, and she plants a kiss on your cheek before smiling and stepping out of the car. You're glad she turned away so quick, because you can feel yourself starting to turn a bit red. You wait to make sure she gets inside, and then shift your car into drive and head to your place. You say "screw it" to yourself and decide you'll take in all your stuff later when you aren't so tired, and you head straight up to your bedroom, don't even bother taking off your shoes, and collapse on your bed and fall asleep.

_== Mike: Dream._

_You are sitting on the hood of your car, which is sitting at the edge of the driveway in front of Jade's house. Instead of the street that's normally in front of the house, there's a bottomless abyss, but you can see something inside of it. You don't know why, but you are pretty sure it is a vision of another reality. You see Jade with dog ears, which you think is a little strange. She's on a golden ship racing through a green tunnel, with one yellow strip along a lower edge. She's with her brother, and there is a couple there that you don't recognize, though they seem to lack legs. You can't tell what they are doing, but it seems like they are all deep in conversation. Jade looks at the end of the tunnel they are speeding towards, and then in your general direction. You know she couldn't possibly see you, but you swear she's staring right at you. After a few moments, she turns and walks into an inner room of the ship. You feel a slight tremor under you, and then your car, the driveway, and the house suddenly disappear, and you start falling. _

_And you never stop falling, or at least, not until you wake up._

== End Chapter 5.


	6. Chapter 6

== Chapter 6: Move Night.

- gardenGnostic [GG] began pestering zenmasterPhysicist [ZP] at 16:04 -

GG: hi mike!

ZP: hey, what's goin on, girl?

GG: not much! when are you going to come over for the movies?

ZP: haha patience is what they call a virtue, yknow

ZP: we agreed on 6, so thats when I'm headin over  
>GG: man, that seems like a while… what are you doing right now?<p>

ZP: I'm getting some wicked kills in the field of battle, man

ZP: I'm rippin it all up and makin those russians cry

GG: uhhh…. i hope not literally?

ZP: Nah, Im playin battlefield 3. But the teams are US and Russia.

ZP: Also, I'm trying to keep an eye on the tv over my cat… he makes it so hard to game sometimes _

GG: haha that's awesome! your cat makes me laugh!

ZP: must you laugh at my suffering? he causes havoc and suffering in my everyday activities of slouching on the couch playing video games and lounging on my bed… playing video games

ZP: or, I guess, in some cases I'm watching shows on my laptop, but the concept is the same

ZP: he makes my life hard

GG: you're so silly! :D

ZP: haha hey, yknow, it's a part of life =3

ZP: actually, to be honest, I'm kinda bored here

ZP: so if you aren't busy and such, I guess I could come and chill earlier =3

GG: That would be awesome! :)

ZP: sweet aiight let me finish up this round we're like 30 tickets ahead of them

GG: you… what?

ZP: we have 30 more lives than they do. Battlefield calls them tickets because… well I dont know why they just do. _

GG: haha alright! ill wait for you, then!

GG: text me when you are on your way over!

ZP: You got it, girl! =3

GG: Byeee! 3

- gardenGnostic [GG] ceased pestering zenmasterPhysicist [ZP] at 16:14 -

== Mike: Own that Battlefield, and make it quick!

You are totally owning that Battlefield, but let's be honest, there is no way possible for you to make any Battlefield game quick. There's more chance of picking up chicks in a tank than making a Battlefield game quick. You figure you'll be able to make it to Jade's by 4:30 at the earliest, but probably closer to 4:40. You are pretty happy, because it's been about a week since the gaming party, and you are already going to hang out with Jade again. You're starting to wonder if you actually want to ask her out, but you haven't figured it out for sure yet.

Your train of thought gets broken as you parachute onto a building with a few enemies on it, but the other team is really kind of terrible. You take care of them easily. You take care of them so easily, you almost feel bad about charging full price for your services. But you do have mouths to feed. You aren't really sure what this train of thought is about, though, and you don't really know where it came from. Someone else is messaging you, though, so you might as well check it out.

- zealotTrombonist [ZT] began pestering zenmasterPhysicist [ZP] at 16:18 -

ZT: hey dude, you want to play some starcraft?

ZP: nah, man, I'm gonna finish up this round of battlefield and then head over to jade's for some movie time with her and her bro.

ZP: it's gonna be sweet.

ZT: bah. party pooper :P so you really sure you aren't interested in her, dude? youve been pretty close to her lately.

ZP: man, I don't know! I'm trying to figure out if I am or not, aiight? give me time, and a crayon.

ZT: matt smith, really? youre gonna go there, of all places?

ZP: first thing that came to mind, dude, don't judge. and he isn't THAT bad

ZT: fair enough. well, if you have time at some point to get on tonight, im gonna be playing for probably the rest of the night.

ZP: its not even night yet dude, its only like 4:20.

ZT: hey man, for a lot of people, its 4:20 all day long.

ZP: drug references aside, you really need to get out more. all that strategy's gonna kill you, jehosophat.

ZT: I told you not to call me that, mikey.

ZP: Yeah, yeah, junior, whatever you say.

ZT: Alright then, _manchild_.

ZP: do you have to bring my mom's strange antics into this? really, dude?

ZT: hahaha I totally win, man, I totally win. alright text me if you wanna play im gonna get on starcraft now. Later

- zealotTrombonist [ZT] ceased pestering zenmasterPhysicist [EB] at 16:25 -

You can't help but shake your head and sigh a little as your best bro goes off to play his game. You think he's such an addict, but then again, you almost perpetually carry around a can of Mountain Dew with you everywhere. You think about shooting an offline jab at him that he should ditch the game to go hang out with his own girl, but you decide that's just opening yourself up for more fire. Instead, you direct your attention to the new handle that is pestering you.

- timaeusTestified [TT] began pestering zenmasterPhysicist [ZP] at 16:26 -

TT: Hello, there. You probably aren't familiar with my tag, so let me introduce myself. I'm Dirk Strider, Dave's older brother.

ZP: Well hey there. Jade says you are pretty chill. What's goin on, dude?

TT: I'd like to make a request for my little bro. Look, Dave really wants to apologize to Jade. I mean, as unironically as possible, which for Dave is really saying something. But man, f*** if Jade won't listen to a d*** thing that anyone says about Dave. Rose, our sister, is Jade's bff. I'm sure you've at least heard about her. Anyway, she's a bit of a psych, and she has the idea that you may be the one who can get Jade to at least give Dave the chance to apologize.

ZP: Holy crap dude, can you get any more text in one message?

ZP: Ever try breaking it up?

TT: What's the point in doing that? It gives people a chance to jump to conclusions before you finish talking.

ZP: Fair enough. But the only people who would do that are the stupid dramatic chicks that aren't really that worth trying to keep from freaking out anyway. And the dramatic girls that ARE worth the time are willing to let you explain yourself.

TT: Indeed. You seem well versed in the matter.

ZP: Dude, I've experienced it all first hand. I know how they work.

TT: You and me both. So will you help a guy out?

ZP: I'll tell you what, dude. You're a pretty chill bro, and I like you. And to be honest, man, even I think that the douche should at least have the chance to apologize. So yeah, I'll help you out, man.

TT: Alright, thanks. And for the record, I agree with you wholeheartedly about the whole Dave is a douche thing. I still find it hard to believe he cheated on Jade like that. Especially with that blind girl.

ZP: What, she's blind? That's a detail I haven't heard before. That's kind of… I dunno, that's interesting.

TT: Yeah, well, when she ran into the wall twice while trying to leave, you can kind of tell that she couldn't see a d*** thing.

ZP: Hahaha I really wish I could've seen that. Please tell me you were able to get some footage of that.

TT: one of my puppet cams got an alright angle of it, but nothing that gives it justice. It's also one of my older models, so the image quality isn't as high.

ZP: That sucks pretty hard, dude, but at least you got it. Alright, man, well I'm about to head to Jade's so peace dude. I'm gonna save your handle. You're pretty chill to talk to.

TT: Likewise.

ZP: Aiight, sweet

ZP: peace

- zenmasterPhysicist [ZP] ceased pestering timaeusTestified [TT] at 16:34 -

You sigh as you shut your laptop's lid and set it to the side, watching as you gain a good handful of medals now that the round has ended. That was a pretty good round for you, you didn't actually die that much, and got a lot of kills. You shut it off as you finish reading the round summary, and head over to grab a 12-pack of Mountain Dew before you head out. You leave a note upstairs for your family saying where you went to and then walk out the door next to your trusty cavalier. You lock it behind you, and test the lock with a good shove. Content, you hop in the car, sending a text to Jade as you pull out of the carport.

== Jade: Get the text.

You just got a text from Mike saying that he was on his way over to your place. Excited, you head over to unlock the front door, and call upstairs for John to grab his movie. You made sure the basement was all nice and clean, ready for the three of you to have a great movie night. Mike said he would bring over some of his sci fi stuff so you guys could get versed in the world of Doctor Who. Mike says it's the best show ever, but you aren't sure if you agree; you'll believe it when you see it!

You head up to your room before he gets there to check your normal computer stuff. You see a list of messages from the familiar bright red tag of TG, which you close without looking. You still can't even look at the name without feeling resentment in your gut. You instead focus your attention to the not-as-threatening purple text of your best friend ever, Rose. Rose is Dave's cousin in actuality, but Rose's mom was relieved of custody due to excessive drinking habits, and the Striders were the nearest relatives for Rose to get moved to. The two brothers didn't really mind anyway, and the feminine touch to the apartment over the years has really made the place more bearable. Rose spent most of her time with the Striders anyway, so she was more like a sister, and that's what everyone considers her to be.

- tentacleTherapist [TT] began pestering gardenGnostic [GG] at 16:37 -

TT: So you are still having a get together with your new friend tonight to engage in watching some of John's so-called "high-class cinema", yes?

GG: yeah, totally! it's gonna be aaaaawesome!

TT: It's unfortunate that I will not be able to join you tonight. I will have to meet this friend of yours at another time.

GG: for sure! Mike is so nice, and smart! youll like him, trust me! :D

TT: Oh yes, I'm sure that it would be quite amusing to analyze the ideas of a man who spends his time wearing two different colors of foot apparel, taking part in science fiction entertainment and playing violent video games, all while drinking a certain caffeinated beverage

GG: rose! he's just weird, not insane! :P

GG: Plus, I think there's quite a few guys who do that today… well, maybe not the shoes thing, but still

TT: My apologies, I didn't realize there was that much of a difference between being strange and having a case of insanity.

GG: Rose, if you keep psychoanalyzing every guy you meet, you'll never get a boyfriend!

TT: But what if getting a boyfriend isn't the objective I had in mind? Unless perhaps I already have someone in mind and I am just biding my time until the opportune moment to take him on a formally romantic excursion, to perhaps see some of this so-called "high class cinema" that I hear so much about.

GG: o: rose! you want to go on a date with my brother?

TT: I never said such a thing. Honestly, why would you think taht?

GG: rose, you just misspelled "that"… you're getting flustered. I was right! You totally want to go out with my brother. Awwwwwwww that's so cute! You guys should totally do that!

TT: My apologies, I believe I hear Dirk calling me into the front room, I believe it is time for a family meeting. I suppose I shall talk to you later. Enjoy yourself tonight, Jade.

GG: I will! bye, rose! 3

- tentacleTherapist [TT] ceased pestering gardenGnostic [GG] at 16:46 -

A few moments later of surfing the web, and you hear four knocks on the door, a pause and then four more. You run downstairs as John comes out of his room, and pull the door open. Mike is standing there in a pair of red Converse with black rubber. Teasing him, you say, "Mike, it's amazing! Your shoes actually match today!"

He just grins back at you and puts a hand on your head and gently pushes you, and you both laugh. John had come downstairs by this time, and they exchange a quick bro-fist. The two of them had started talking online as well in the past week, and they had started to become pretty good friends too. The three of you decide that since you're all here, you might as well just start the movie early. You head to the basement, where you pop some popcorn into the microwave that your dad conveniently let you and your brother have for your hangout area down here. Mike flops down on the couch, puts his box of soda on the table in front of him and pulls out a can.

You decline politely as he offers you one, but your brother agrees and eagerly opens the can. As you settle on the couch between the two of them with a bowl of popcorn, John starts Con Air. You giggle a little as John immediately is engrossed in the movie, and the giggle is multiplied by the thought of John and Rose going on a date. You wonder what Vriska would think if she heard about that, but you think that you've had enough drama lately to have to deal with that too. You glance over at Mike, who even though he is definitely interested in the movie, isn't quite as all-consumed by it like John. He catches you looking at him and smiles, as he drapes his long arms over the back of the couch.

"You are welcome to fall asleep on me again, if you start feeling tired," he says teasingly, and smirks. You laugh and tell him to shut up, sticking your tongue out at him. He pinches two of his fingers together as if he's going to grab your tongue and it looks so funny you giggle a bit. Your brother shooshes both of you, since the movie is actually starting now, and Mike replaces his arm on the side of the couch instead. You both turn back to the movie, as Poe accidentally kills a man.

== Mike: Wake up

You wake up with a small start from your dream. You had that same dream of falling again, but you wake up on the couch in the Harleys' basement. You shake your head a little bit to clear your head, and realize that Jade is actually curled up on your chest. You aren't quite sure when that happened, but judging by the vague wheezy whooshing sounds and the theme music, your Doctor Who DVD is on its title screen. The three of you had finished Con Air, which was actually a pretty good movie, and then you take the started introducing the two to the most awesome science-fiction show ever. Apparently, it had gotten fairly late and you had fallen asleep. Jade apparently decided you were a good place to sleep on as well. John wasn't anywhere to be found, so you figure he probably found his way back up to his room. Jade was still fast asleep, and you figure hey, might as well sleep the rest of the night out. You are almost certain you want to ask Jade out now, but there's one more person you want to consult first. You wonder what your sister has to say about it…

== End Chapter 6.

I thought about doing a bit more of them watching the movie... but that would be ridiculous. Pesterlog writing is such a pain... Mike's is the worst to try and write because it's obviously supposed to be like mine, and there isn't really a rhyme or reason for my chat window typing. Literally it's just however I feel like typing it. Honestly, I toned down the number times I would've hit enter if I were really doing that conversation. In any case, you can find me on the real-life Pesterchum client under Mike's handle here: zenmasterPhysicist. Feel free to pester me!


	7. Chapter 7

== Chapter 7: All's Fair in Love and War

- zenmasterPhysicist [ZP] began pestering neuroticAuthor [NA] at 13:14 -

ZP: heyyyy sis!

NA: sup bro?

ZP: not much, just the chillz.

ZP: well

ZP: mostly

NA: oh?

ZP: remember that jade girl I was talkin about?

NA: yeah?

ZP: Im thinkin about

ZP: like

ZP: seriously askin her out?

NA: well, you said it yourself she's pretty cool, right?

ZP: yeah, yeah, cool, smart, good lookin

ZP: a trifecta of perfection that's almost too good to be true.

NA: almost isnt the real thing though

ZP: true

ZP: …

NA: go for it, dude. if you really think you want to, do it.

NA: what can you lose?

ZP: true statement.

ZP: also true statement:

ZP: I still have to talk to her about her ex. Cause I may or may not have promised her ex's brother that I would.

NA: …really?

ZP: Hey, even you would agree he should get a chance to apologize.

NA: yeah, that's true. Though she may not like to hear that

ZP: we all hear crap we dont want to, yknow?

NA: yeah… I know exactly what you mean.

ZP: mom still givin you crap about rad?

NA: when does she not?

ZP: true.

NA: she still givin you crap about college money?

ZP: she's givin me crap for buyin a computer. "what if your car breaks down? What if you get in a wreck?"

ZP:what if, what if, what if, man

ZP: Ive been saving for a computer for two years now

ZP: and heck, if I didn't go in the hospital last year, I'd have long since had one.

NA: for sure.

ZP: alright, well, Im gonna go talk to jade… =3

NA: alright! good luck, little brother! 3

ZP: 3 oh, and for the record, when it comes to conrad, mom's full of crap.

ZP: yeah, he's got problems, but so do the rest of us.

NA: yeah, I know.

ZP: aiight peace

NA: bai bai!

- zenmasterPhysicist [ZP] ceased pestering neuroticAuthor [NA] at 13:29 -

You close out purple text belonging to your sister, and open a window with Jade. Of course, you aren't going to ask her out over the internet, because let's be honest, that is not cool at all; but you want to make sure she isn't busy first. You stop for just a minute though before you do it, because you start getting a rather nervous feeling in your gut. You take a moment to meditate and calm yourself back down before pestering Jade. After all, you shouldn't get all worked up over it…

== Jade: Get all worked up over it.

You are Jade, and you are definitely getting all worked up over it. It's been just a few days since Mike came over to watch movies with you and your brother, and you are just sure that you want to go out with him now. You have no idea if he feels the same though, and you have no idea whether you are ready to get into another relationship yet. You decide that Rose would be a good person to talk to about it, so you sit down at your computer and pull up Pesterchum. You have no longer been getting messages from Dave for you to ignore. He's probably gotten the message that you don't want to talk to him, which is good; though you are starting to feel a little bad about ignoring him all the time. You went through a few of the messages he sent you once after he had gotten off, and really all he wants to do at this point is apologize. You think it might be a good idea to at least let him apologize. You decide to save that for later though, and open a conversation with Rose.

- gardenGnostic [GG] began pestering tentacleTherapist [TT] at 13:19 -

GG: rose! are you there?

TT: Yes, Jade, I am here. Is there something you need, dearest friend?

GG: yeah… ummm… so its about mike

TT: Ah, our dear friend Mike. I took the liberty to speak to him a few days ago, after your movie party. He is quite a good boy. I quite approve of him, Jade.

GG: rose! this is serious!

TT: I am being completely serious. He is quite the perfect match for you, you know.

GG: you really think so…?

TT: If I didn't think so, I wouldn't have told you.

GG: :S i really think i like him, rose. i mean, like, a lot.

TT: The way you have acted over the past few days has very much said about the same.

GG: really, rose? youve known all this time and you didnt say anything?

TT: You never asked.

GG: do you… think he likes me too?

TT: I believe that is a possibility. With his rather… unique personality it's honestly a bit hard to read him over text alone. He just puts off that vibe of being rather strange and snarky.

GG: well, that sounds like mike :P

TT: Yes, well, if I had any guess, I'd say if he did have a form of infatuation for you, he would be making a move on it within a very short amount of time.

GG: really? o: rose! he just pestered me! what if he's gonna ask me out? ohhh what do i say? what do i do?

TT: Do what feels best. I do actually need to go get ready for my own excursion with John later this evening. I shall talk to you later, Jade.

GG: oh yeah! have fun on your date! ;)

TT: Yes, well, I'm sure it will be quite fun.

TT: Goodbye, Jade

GG: bye! 3

- tentacleTherapist ceased pestering gardenGnostic [GG] at 13:32 -

You close out that window, and look at the blood red text that replaces itself on your screen, and the picture of Mike and that Jamaican guy that accompanies it. You have to remind yourself to not hold your breath as you read what he said to you…

- zenmasterPhysicist [ZP] began pestering gardenGnostic [GG] at 13:32 -

ZP: hey, Jade, are you busy?

GG: nope! not busy at all! whats up?

ZP: well, there was somethin I kinda wanted to talk to you about.. think I could come over?

GG: ummm… right now?

ZP: well, unless it's a bad time, then it can wait

GG: no! its just fine! you can come on over!

ZP: aiight awesome… be there in 5

- zenmasterPhysicist [ZP] ceased pestering gardenGnostic [GG] at 13:34 -

You are really excited now because what kind of a thing does a guy want to actually come talk to you in person about unless it's important? You go over to the mirror to make sure you are decent enough to have company, and from the corner of your eye you see your brother in the door. He's wearing his black shirt with the green slime on it, a green button-down shirt over it, unbuttoned, and a pair of jeans. On his feet are green Converse, which you didn't even know he owned.

"If you're wondering, Mike actually let me borrow these for tonight. Said they'd work well on me. I kinda like 'em… they're really comfortable," he says, twisting his feet around and examining them. You grin at him and said, "You're letting Mike be your wingman now? Man, someone might get jealous!" You lengthen that last word out in a sing-songy voice and laugh.

"Well, you can't exactly ask your date's brother to be your wingman… that'd just be weird," he said, blushing, "I can't believe Rose actually said yes." You walk over to him and tidy up his messy hair a little bit and say, "Don't be silly, of course Rose would say yes. You're so lovable, you know."

"For a derpy prankster who loves Nic Cage?" he looks at you, grinning, "But I guess it's better than being a derpy gardener who loves science. At least I have some entertaining hobbies!" You smack him on the arm as you both laugh, and you cross your arms over each other's shoulders as you go down the stairs to the front room.

"Hey, have fun tonight! Give Rose a hug from me, and give her five from you!" you tell him, as you give him a hug before he walks out the door. "Yeah… we'll see about that," he replies, turning a slight shade of pink. He then turns and walks out the door, and as he gets in his car, your Dad's old one, you see Mike's green cavalier pull up and park beside him. John rolls down his passenger window, and they exchange a few words that you can't hear over the two engines, and then John pulls out of the driveway.

Mike walks up to the door, which you left open for him, and waits for you to motion for him to come inside. He walks up to you, clears his throat, and simply says, "Hey."

"Hey, what's up?" you reply back, suddenly self-conscious as he seems to be looking you over. You look down at your feet and when you look back up he's staring straight at your face.

"There's something I really, really want to say… and I have no idea how to say it. That's why I've never done it really very well in the past, I mean the first time I don't even remember how I said it, and then the second time I had appendicitis so I remember nothing from that time either. I'm pretty much at a loss, here," he starts rambling. You start feeling butterflies in your stomach as he stops and just looks at you again, and you can see what seems to be anxiety in his eyes.

"You know how they say actions speak louder than words?" he asks you, and you begin to say something about how this guy you know always says that, but he stops you before he starts by striding forward and putting a gentle hand on your cheek, "Takes a lot to get louder than me, though." And with that said, he leans forward until his lips meet yours and you feel like your insides just exploded because it's just like you thought it was going to be, and for a guy who doesn't even know how to put his feelings into words, he really knows how to act on them, and you start kissing him back, and you pull him closer, and he does the same. Neither of you pull away until the need for oxygen is too strong and you both pull away.

You look up at him and smile what feels like the biggest, happiest smile you've ever had and you say, "I think I got the message pretty clear." He grins at you and you take his hand and lead him up to your room and the two of you sit down on your bed. You lay your head on his chest and look up at him, and he puts his arm around you, and lays his hand on your side. He looks at you, and there's joy in his eyes, but also a seriousness, and he says, "Now, there's one other thing I do need to talk to you about…"

== Mike: Feel like you're about to screw something up.

You are Mike, and you definitely feel like you are going to screw something up right now. You just basically kissed your way into this one, which beats the heck out of the last two times, especially since you don't remember either one. But now that you've done that, you do have a favor to keep.

"What do you need to talk to me about?" she asks you, turning to lay on her stomach, resting her chin on the backs of her hands that she folded over each other on your chest. Which is a positively gorgeous position for her to be in, it's so innocent and lovely, and you really need to stay focused here, Mike, you're saving douchebags like you do all the time.

"It's… it's about Dave. I've been talking to Dirk a bit lately, and… well, he told me that no one can persuade you to even give Dave a chance to apologize," you start explaining it, and you are actually surprised that the smile hasn't faded from her face yet, so you continue, "And no matter what he did, I really do think he should at least have that chance."

"I agree, Mike. I really do, for the past couple days I've been thinking the same thing, I just haven't gotten around to it yet," she replies, and you literally breathe a sigh of relief, that went a lot better than you thought it was going to. You grin down at her and say, "Well, that's all that I actually had on the talking agenda. So what do ya wanna do now?"

"Oh, I could think of a few things," she says, bringing her face closer to yours, and she brings it inches away and then stops and grins, "Let's go to the park!" You blink in surprise at that, but you grin and agree to it, and she jumps up and runs to go get some shoes on. You shake your head, and pull out your phone, shooting a text to Dirk that reads "Mission 'douche-gets-a-second-chance' is a success. No thanks necessary, just get me that footage of the blind girl running into the wall." By the time you finish typing it out, she's ready to go, and she decides to race you down to your car. You can't help but laugh at the kid-like energy that she has, and as you step outside you look down at the reply text that simply reads, "I'll send it to you when you get home." You hop in your car, and unlock the passenger door for Jade, and as you drive to the park you send out one more text to your sister, saying, "It was definitely worth it. =3"

== Jade: Talk to the douchebag.

After spending a few hours at the park, Mike said that he had to go home and work on a paper for school, so he drops you off at your place, and you decide you might as well get the Dave thing over with. You boot up your computer and open a conversation with Dave.

- gardenGnostic [GG] began pestering turntechGodhead [TG] at 18:56 -

GG: okay, dave, what do you want?

TG: jade look i just want to say im sorry

GG: and?

TG: im sorry i cheated on you with tz and i really shouldve used my head, and i mean the big man, not the little man.

TG: the little man doesnt know s***

GG: haha okay, dave, i forgive you! we can totally be friends again

TG: thats all i really want harley

TG: look i even made you a comic

- turntechGodhead [TG] sent gardenGnostic [GG] a file: -

GG: hahaha dave! thats so silly!

TG: what can i say harley im the comic making master

TG: all the other comics bow to my mastery of comics and all things cool

GG: i dunno about that! i found a guy who could give you a run for your money on being the coolest!

TG: oh really

TG: who could possibly do that

TG: im the master of chill man, im so chill we don't need an ac im all the ac we need in here

GG: i met this guy a few weeks ago mike, and we just started going out today! we went to the park and played on the swings!

TG: oh really

TG: can he beat a strider at a game of whos more chill

GG: i bet he could! he meditates all the time so his chill meter is like

GG: through the roof! :o

TG: well thats something that well have to find out

GG: totally! you guys could have a cool-off!

GG: wow, that sounds a lot weirder than it did in my head

TG: well i gotta go harley

TG: you know me livin it big

TG: got a lot of irons in the fire

TG: lot of crap i gotta do

GG: alright dave! talk to you later!

TG: later harley

- turntechGodhead [TG] ceased pestering gardenGnostic [GG] at 19:05 -

You grab some PJs to change into, and head off to the bathroom to freshen up, and then you decide you should settle down to play your bass for a bit. Mike was telling you about a keyboard piece he was working on, and he told you that you could totally make an "epic bass line that would just go fantastically with it". He was going to send you some sound files and sheet music later tonight, so you could get to work. You can't wait for a chance to jam out with him!

== Mike: Schadenfreude

- timaeusTestified [TT] began pestering zenmasterPhysicist [ZP] at 20:20 -

- timaeusTestified [TT] sent zenmasterPhysicist [ZP] a file: -

TT: The video, as promised.

ZP: aiight, hold on, let me watch it.

TT: It really is a great piece of art. I found another camera had picked up a good angle, so I spliced the footage together.

ZP: Oh my goodness dude, this is amazing!

ZP: There needs to be gifs made of this, dude! Just this chick in red shades banging into a wall again and again.

ZP: oh man, I would die! I would die all the time of laughter!

TT: Schadenfreude is quite amusing. It has even mustered a few chuckles out of Rose, though that may be partly vengeance due to the harm that blind chick has done to Jade. Glad you two are going out, by the way.

ZP: Haha thanks bro. Speaking of, I have some music files to send her, and then I have a paper to work on for a bit, so I'll talk to you later.

TT: Alright. Have fun, kid.

ZP: It's a paper on time theory, it should actually be really fun.

TT: Oh you and Dave and your time shenanigans, I swear. You two would actually get along really well.

ZP: Well, perhaps we will.

ZP: Alright, dude, peace.

TT: Later.

- zenmasterPhysicist [ZP] began pestering timaeusTestified [TT] at 13:19 -

You change your status to appearing offline, and wait for Jade to log on so you can give her the files for the music you're working on. You decide to get to work on the paper while you wait, and when she logs on you send her the files and chat with her a bit, and confuse her to death with the strange time theories that you're writing about. After a couple of hours she decides to go to bed, and you manage to wrap up your paper. JR shoots you a message asking about Starcraft again and this time, you agree and the two of you own some two-versus-two matches for a bit.

You decide to go to bed around midnight, and you wonder if you'll dream that same dream again…

_== Mike: Dream_

_You are dreaming about an island in the middle of nowhere, with a frog temple and a volcano, and a very strange looking house. You are closest to the temple, so you start walking towards it, but there's a green flash and you find yourself walking into the house instead. You find a large spiral staircase inside, and instead of taking them, you find there are teleports in the middle of the floor you can use instead. You take them all the way to the top, where you walk into a room that looks familiarly like Jade's, just round instead of square. Jade herself is sitting on her bed, looking out the window, and she turns and looks at you. _

_ "Hi Mike, how'd you get to the island?" she asks you happily, and you shrug as you sit down next to her on the bed. You reach for her hand, but she shakes her head and when you question her, she says "if you touch me the dream will break."_

_ You replace your hand in your lap and look at the walls, full of evidence of her various interests. When you look back at her, Jade has dog ears again, and is wearing that black dress that she was wearing on the golden ship. When you ask her about it, she laughs and says "It's because of when I reached god-tier! It's because my sprite was prototyped with my dream-self and Bec, my semi-omnipotent dog."_

_ You look at her, and she laughs and says, "It's just from a game, silly, it doesn't matter. But aren't the ears cute?" she giggles and talks about how she wishes you could scratch behind her ears without the dream ending. You decide to reach up and do it anyway, and for a few moments she closes her eyes and seems to be in complete bliss. When you stop, she looks at you, and you both start leaning forward, and as your lips are about to meet, the island, the house, and everything but the two of you disappear. You start falling, but Jade seems to hang in the air, and she catches your hand. You try to hold on, but you can feel yourself slipping out of her grasp, and soon you start falling again, away from her._

_ You never stop falling. At least, not until you wake up._

== End Chapter 7.

I'm just going to say, writing a conversation between characters which represent yourself and your sister is both the easiest and hardest thing I've ever done. It was especially hard to keep track since I was chatting with her as I was writing this bit. I also really love writing these dream sequences. Dreams are fun.


	8. Chapter 8

== Chapter 8: At the Bottom of Everything

One year in the future, exactly, since the day you first met Jade Harley, you are getting off of work and are taking Jade out to a Japanese steakhouse for your one-year anniversary. True, there's another week and a half until the official one-year, but you guess it's close enough; plus, Jade will be on vacation to her Grandpa's island next week, so she won't be here for it. You walk out of the store and notice Dave leaning against your car. Since the events one year ago, you have gotten well acquainted with all of Jade's friends. He's leaning against the hood, just like he had done soon after you and Jade had gotten together.

_== [Flashback] Mike: Meet Dave._

_ Your name is Mike, and you just got off work and are going to go hang with your new girlfriend again, because what else are you going to do on an open Thursday night? You walk out to see a pale guy with blonde hair and shades leaning against your car, wearing a red t-shirt, jeans, and black Converse. Without him even introducing himself, you know for a fact this has to be Dave. As you walk up to him, he greets you with a simple "sup?"_

_ "Sup to you, bro, what you doin' leanin' on Jorge?" you ask him, and he lazily stands up. _

_ "Sorry, dude. I… just wanted to say... thanks. Thanks for puttin' in a word for me with Jade," he says monotonously, but you think you hear the slightest bit of nervousness in his pauses. He is sticking out his hand for you to shake. You take it without skipping a beat and reply, "Don't worry about it, dude. You know, it's funny, I used to not believe in second chances. I've changed a lot in five years, I guess."_

_ "Yeah, people do change. Look, I know this is probably weird for you, and it is for me too. And I really feel… awful about what I did. I really wish I didn't ever do it, that I still had her," he began saying, and even though you were both wearing sunglasses, your eyes had definitely met as he started saying this, he continued, "Don't worry dude, I'm not going to ask you to not date her, first of all because I wouldn't want to do that to Jade, and second because I can tell you're a lot like me. You wouldn't agree to it."_

_ "I'd probably punch you in the face, to be honest," you say to him, and then you shrug and add, "You know, dude, a couple weeks ago when I saw Jade bawling her eyes out over here, I thought you were just the biggest douche in the world. And you know what? I was right. But you're a bit of an honest douche, and you honestly are gaining my respect." You hold up a fist for a fist-bump, which he gives you and nods, expression unchanging, and noticing he didn't have a car of his own, offered to give him a ride home. He accepts it, and you spend the ride home listening to and discussing techno…_

== Mike: Greet your bro.

You walk up to Dave, and greet him with a fist-bump, and he looks at you with that expressionless face, but you've begun to learn to read it. You know there's something about it that isn't right. "What's up, dude?" you ask him.

"I've been tryin' to get a hold of Egbert. Him and Rose have both disappeared, man, and Pesterchum is messin' up or something, look," he says, holding out his iPhone, and you look and see chat windows with both, messages from Dave, and a simple error message: - ERROR! ghostlyTrickster [GT] does not exist! - - ERROR! tentacleTherapist [TT] does not exist! -

"Okay, that's really weird. Is it happening with anyone else?" you ask him, handing him back the phone and he nods and lists off a few names. The only people he seems to be able to contact without issue is Dirk, you, and Jade. You frown a bit and ask him where his Bro is at, and he replies that he should be getting home in the next five minutes. You tell him to get in the car, and as you both turn to the car, you see a wall of darkness in the distance.

"Is that a storm? That looks like it could raise some hell," Dave says monotonously beside you and you nod, but you can't shake the feeling that something about that storm isn't natural. You get in the car and you and Dave drive to his apartment to meet Dirk. Dirk's car is in his usual parking spot when you get there, so you head up to the apartment. When you get in, the sight you see there makes your eyes widen and Dave next to you can only say "no…"

Dirk is lying on the floor of the apartment, pointy anime shades smashed, his own blade sticking out of his chest. His cap even seems to have found its way off of his head, and Dave carefully replaces it to its rightful place. You look around and see what seem to be black and orange feathers scattered around the apartment, and in a corner there seems to be bright orange blood, which is certainly strange. Dave stands up from kneeling by his brother and you can tell it takes all he can possibly take to not totally melt down where he stands. You walk over to him and put a reassuring hand on his shoulder, and Dirk starts sputtering at your feet.

"Take it easy, Bro, we're here, we're gonna get you help," you say, kneeling down next to him, and he shakes his head, and you ask him, "who did this to you?"

"Some… douchebag dog thing… comes in here… lookin for blood, man… Dave… you were this… orange bird thing… helped me fight him…" he said between panting breaths. You can tell he doesn't have long, if he has anything, but you are shocked to see that he is literally fading away right in front of you. The two of you watch helplessly as Dirk Strider leaves this world completely, body and soul.

"Dave. We should go. Whatever did this to your Bro could come back. Let's go get Jade and we'll figure out what's happening, alright?" you say as you start leading Dave towards the door, and you turn around to get one last look at the apartment before you leave. You look and see that wall of darkness creeping into the room. You've seen it following in the distance the whole way here, and it's gaining on you.

== Jade: Figure out what's happening.

You can't figure out what's happening because nothing really is. You're just browsing the internet waiting for when it's time for Mike to come pick you up for your date tonight. Mike's going to take you to a Japanese steak house, which is always a bunch of fun. The first time you went was when you met Mike's sister and her boyfriend, and the four of you went to one and had a blast. Mike should be off work by now, so you should probably start getting ready, so you exit your browser but stay signed into Pesterchum.

You decide that you might as well shower to be as fresh as possible, and you spend a few minutes just enjoying the warm water running over you. Soon after you step back into your room, you hear your computer ping. Dave is messaging you, and the number of messages he's sending must mean it's pretty urgent.

- turntechGodhead [TG] began pestering gardenGnostic [GG] at 18:22 -

TG: jade

TG: please tell me youre there

TG: oh god please

TG: throw me a bone here harley

TG: mike and i are on our way

TG: please tell me he hasnt gotten you too

TG: jade

TG: jade

GG: dave, im here! what are you talking about?

TG: jade

TG: jade someone

TG: something

TG: killed bro

GG: what?

TG: and john and rose are nowhere to be found

TG: or the others, they all come up as do not exist

You frown a bit and try opening conversations with a few of them: - ERROR! ghostlyTrickster [GT] does not exist! -, - ERROR! cuttlefishCuller [CC] does not exist! -, - ERROR! adiosToreador does not exist! -. Dirk's handle comes up the same way as well, which makes you start panicking. You try one more handle and hold your breath a little: - zenmasterPhysicist [ZP] has absconded, but you can leave him a pester for later. - You breathe a sigh of relief that at least Mike is still around.

GG: okay

GG: i had to try

GG: no one is there besides you and mike

GG: dave?

GG: dave please tell me youre not going to disappear too!

TG: oh god

TG: harley

TG: harley i know ive been a crappy boyfriend over the past years

TG: but no matter what happens

TG: and no irony either

TG: i

TG: wow this is kinda hard how do you do it all the time

- ERROR! turntechGodhead [TG] no longer exists! -

You scream at your computer and tears start rolling down your face, because somewhere in your mind you know that this isn't some trick. There really is something going on, and people are disappearing. You decide that since he's on his way, you'll wait for Mike to come, because you're just sure he's going to make it here without disappearing…

== Mike: Drive like a Jamaican

If there's ever a time for you to put your experience driving in Jamaica to work, it's now. You drive sixty miles per hour down roads that probably shouldn't be driven faster than twenty-five. You just watched Dave disappear before your eyes, his iPhone being the only thing left behind. You log into Pesterchum, and see Jade is still online, which is good, but she's idle. She may be a bit freaked out about Dave, since you're pretty sure his handle says he doesn't exist.

You take a moment to check on your friends.

- zenmasterPhysicist [ZP] began pestering zealotTrombonist [ZT] -

ZP: bro

ZP: dude come on man answer me

ZT: what do you want, dude? I was about to open up minecraft man. Want to join me?

ZP: what? No! I've got a date in a few hours, or maybe, if theres anyone left in this universe to freakin serve me dude.

ZP: everyone's disappearing. Have you tried pestering your brother or anyone?

ZT: Dude Jake's right here, man, he's fine.

ZP: Have you tried pestering anyone ELSE?

ZT: No….

ZP: Try it.

ZT: okay, hold on.

- zealotTrombonist [ZT] is now an idle chum! -

ZT: okay, I believe you.

ZT: I tried your cousin, nothing.

ZT: Rob? Nothing

ZT: Amy I was talking to…

ZP: oh. Dude, I am so sorry.

ZT: Yeah. So… what happens when it says that?

ZP: They… disappear. Completely.

ZT: well thats just…

ZP: I know.

ZT: Emily's gone too.

ZP: Kinda figured.

ZP: …

ZP: bro?

ZT: Jake…

ZT: he just disappeared. I think I'm next dude.

ZP: Bro talk to me

ZT: I just want to say, before everything's done, that you were an awesome best bro, even if you are a bit of a douche sometimes.

ZP: thanks dude…

ZT: Maybe ill see Amy where Im goin?

ZP: I think maybe you will.

ZT: that's good

ZT: I think im going now… see ya later

ZP: oh…

- zealotTrombonist [ZT] no longer exists! -

ZP: later…

ZP: …

ZP: rest in peace, brother.

You are pissed now. You just lost your best bro in the whole universe, and you are pissed. You open up a chat with your sister, and you see that -ERROR! neuroticAuthor [NA] does not exist! -. Even more pissed, you open a chat with her boyfriend: - ERROR! historicalBias [HB] does not exist! -. You yell in your rage and throw the iPhone out the window. You watch as it skips and breaks over the pavement behind you, and it clicks in your head. You realize what's happening, as if the universe has granted you knowledge at its end. You slow down as you turn onto Jade's street and pull into her driveway. You figure if these are your last moments alive, you might as well spend them with her.

Your name is Jade Harley, and you are running out to meet your boyfriend as he pulls into your driveway. You hug him and he holds you close, and you look at him and say, "What's going on?"

"Let's go inside, I'll explain there." He says, taking your hand and leading you back inside. He walks into the living room and sits down on the couch and you sit next to him, and he still hasn't let go of you, as if he's afraid that you'll disappear if he does.

"I was pissed before I turned on your street. Dave's gone, Dirk's gone, your bro… James. Everyone's gone." He started, his voice firm and at the same time shaking as he's trying not to cry, "but I think this place is enlightening me at the end. Meditation paying off, I guess. This world… this universe… it's ripping apart at the seams. Look out the window." You look behind you out the window, and instead of the street that usually sits in front of your house, there is a great dark abyss, and you can see down below a green blur, and there's something down there, but you can't tell what.

"What you're looking into is a rift in space and time. Sounds like something out of Doctor Who, but that's what it is. It's a tear in the fabric of this reality. Down there is another version of you. Well, it actually is you." he says, and you look at him and can't help but just say, "What?"

"I know. Have you ever had dreams? Dreams of a game you've never played, of things you've never done? Ever dreamed you accidentally killed Dave, or died yourself but came back? How you could shrink planets and make things bigger? Transport people from place to place? That's another life for you. Just like how I dream about falling in that void there. You get to go back to your golden ship. I get to fall for eternity," he begins explaining.

"I still don't understand," you tell him. You're having a hard time comprehending what's going on here. Or maybe you just don't want to, you think, as tears start forming in your eyes. He wipes the tears away as they fall down your face, and he continues, "Where you're travelling through on that ship is a world between worlds, where anything is possible. I was alive on your earth, and that gaming party we went to? That was the last thing I had done before we off and died. When Sburb killed us all. But my mind hung around, in the Furthest Ring, and when you passed by in your sleep once, our minds touched. Apparently, I have a rather strong mind, and of course yours is too, since you're a player of the Game. Our minds together created this universe for us, and we lived it out. It was going to continue until we found each other. Now that we have, it's starting to collapse. I've really been feeling it since day one, with these dreams. Dreams of falling. We don't have that long left, I'm sure."

"So what do we do?" you ask him, and he looks at you with a solemn smile on his face. He says quietly, "What would you like to do? I'd just like to spend my last moments with the girl I love."

"Then that's what we'll do," you say, and lean forward to kiss him. As you do, you feel yourself start to slip away, and you pull away to get one last look at him, because you can't forget him. You lock eyes for one moment and he's about to say something, and then…

== Jade: Wake up

Your name is Jade Harley. You are a god-tier Witch of Space, and for the past three years you have been travelling to reach the post-Scratch session. Your brother just aroused you from your sleep, because you've almost reached the other side. You excitedly get up, because this means you finally get to meet your penpal! And you get to see Rose and Dave again, and meet the trolls, and finally win this game! But despite all your excitement, you can't help but feel a little sad for what you're leaving behind, even though you can't remember what it is. You look back at the blankness behind you one last time and shed a single tear, and then look forward, full of strength and ready for the challenges that await you.

End.

The title of this chapter, At the Bottom of Everything, is a song by Bright Eyes, and is a song sung by a man in his last moments on a crashing plane. Rather fitting, considering the contents of the chapter.

Yeah, so this is the end! I'd like to thank all of you for sticking with me on this. This is the first fanfiction I've ever actually attempted that I have completely known the idea for when I sat down to write it. I'm honestly not much of a writer at all, so I'm really happy with how this turned out. Not too bad for something you dream after reading all of Homestuck in a couple weeks. But seriously, this has been awesome, and you all are awesome too.

- Mike, AKA zenmasterPhysicist [ZP]


	9. Epilogue

Epilogue

Your inner monologue has already written the description of the current scenario. _"A lone figure sits at the edge of an abyss, looking down into it with awe and passion."_ You are the last remnant of an offshoot reality that has come to an end. You are looking into the abyss of the alpha timeline, watching the girl you had come to love about to cross over into the next session.

"What's going on down there? I can't see; only you can," a female voice speaks from behind you, and you answer, "They're about to cross into the new session. They're going to be able to meet their ancestors, or at least who they would've been had their roles been swapped. They will fight the enemies presented to them. And if I had an idea of what will happen next… they will succeed. But what I couldn't say, is what that victory will cost."

"And what about us? Why am I still here? I already disappeared from this reality a long time ago. How am I here now?"

"Simple. You're on my mind. In the last moments of this reality, I seem to have complete control. It makes sense, since this world was created when my mind touched hers. I guess I brought you back for some company in the last moments we've got."

"Sounds fun, so I get to see what happens when this last little bit of our world disappears? I'd rather stay in that abyss then fall into it twice, to be honest."

You turn to her, and you simply say, "Don't worry; it's not the end for us."

She frowns at you and replies, "How is it not? Our whole world is gone, you and I are all that's left of it, and how can you say this isn't the end?"  
>"It's as simple as it could be," you say, looking back at the golden ship in the abyss, "I'm on her mind. Maybe not the forefront of it right now, but I'm in her subconscious. And when they emerge victorious, and rebuild a new universe, they are going to do it with their minds. She'll bring me back, and I'm going to bring all of you with me." You watch as they finally crash through the other side, and you know that's the last you'll see of her in a long time.<p>

"You loved her, didn't you?" she asks you, as you stand up.

"I grew to love her because I had the chance to, that's all. It doesn't matter now, though, because even if she brings us back in the next universe, she'll have him. They'll have all of Time and Space to be together in. A perfect match if I've ever heard of one," you say this sounding somewhat bitter, and you don't really care. You think that in this situation, you really almost deserve to be bitter.

You expected another reply from her, but as you turn you see she's gone. The world must be about to finish breaking apart, and you see the driveway and your car start to disappear. You quickly grab the CDs from inside your car, because there's one you want to listen to one last time. You head inside her house, passing by the baby grand you had impressed them with so long ago, head up the stairs, and through the second door on the left.

In her room, you pop one of the CDs into the player, and switch to the second track. A copy of the CD she had first heard when she got in your car, just with each part broken up into separate tracks. This was the part that was playing. You lay down on her bed, close your eyes, and wait for the end to come. You smile as the lyrics start:

_Once again, now where do I start, dear love_

_Dumb struck with the pure luck to find you here_

_Every morn' I awake from a cavernous night,_

_Sometimes still pondering the previous plight,_

_Seems life done changed long time no speak,_

_Nowadays I often forget the day of the week_

_Taking it by stride if you know what I mean,_

_No harm done, no offense taken by me_

_So let's rap, we'll catch up to par, what's the haps?_

_Perhaps we're even closer now after all things considered on this side of the planet,_

_Couldn't pick a better time even if we planned it_

_To come clean and candid if I have to_

_Oh what I wouldn't trade for your laughter_

_Sweet and sour spice in my poetry pot melting,_

_Even better than the real thing_

_It's like the God in me saw the Devil in you_

_I wanted to break myself in the worst way when I met you_

_Who would have thought, conversate by the river, celebrate birth,_

_Sit and delivered the lines that would prove to be the seeds of trust_

_Unsigned, yeah but destined to grow with sunshine_

_Self-assigned task piled on the desk of good works,_

_Knowing hardship appreciate the best of both worlds_

You open your eyes as there's a metallic twang which you know is the piano breaking apart, and you look to find the darkness creeping into the doorway. You stand up again, and it takes all of your will to keep from panicking. You really don't want to go into that abyss, you don't want to fall for who knows how long before she saves you, if she even does save you. You try to hold onto your faith that she will, but you are scared. You are more scared than you've ever been, and you shudder as the music screeches when the CD starts to disappear. Soon, the darkness has you backed up onto the bed. You sit on it cross-legged, and close your eyes. You use your last waking moments to meditate, and you manage to calm yourself. You find yourself actually smiling in your last moments, and that same song runs through your head,

_Once together, now where do we go, dear divine_

_I pray that you keep watching over us,_

_From the heavens where light is the nucleus_

_To this space filled with darkness and negative matter…_

And then, the darkness overtakes you, and you start falling. You never stop falling, or at least not until you wake up…

== Wake up.

You wake up in your bedroom, like any other normal day. You get out of bed, you start your morning routine, eat breakfast, brush your teeth, make sure your hair looks somewhat decent. You just have to get through one more day of classes, work some extra hours at the music store, and then you get to go have some fun awesome times with the best friends in the universe. Speaking of work, you are glad you remembered, because you almost left the house today in mismatched shoes. You change out one maroon shoe for the other black one, and shoot yourself a thumbs-up as you leave the bathroom. You are smiling as you leave work, but as you unlock the door of your car, you think you hear a girl crying and you look up. When you make sure you just heard the wind or something playing tricks on you, you get into your car, sliding a pair of black sunglasses over your pure white eyes…

End Epilogue.

A little bit of closure, perhaps, on what happens to Mike. To forever spend his time reliving a single night in the dream bubbles, until such time as he is brought out of that realm. The song whose lyrics I used in this is Luv Sic part 2 by Nujabes.


End file.
